This paper discusses the central problems and issues of the transition from school to worklife in the United States. Developed from a framework which outlines the structure of the education system and the place of vocational-technical education within it, the paper addresses measures the United States has taken to facilitate the transition from school to work. Content and methods related to curriculum and teaching in vocational education are briefly described and conclusions are drawn on the present state of affairs relative to the school-to-work transition. Selected conclusions are these: (1) access to facilities in urban and rural areas must be improved; (2) more emphasis should be placed on staff development; (3) guidance services and counseling efforts should be better integrated into the school system and the curriculum; and (4) better and more reliable information on job possibilities, work experience, and employment options are necessary. It is noted that resolutions to the school-to-work transition are most likely to be found where cooperative work experience programs can serve at least fifty percent of all students enrolled in school-based vocational programs; where career exploration in the workplace is available to all students; and where education is more successfully integrated with business and the community by programs being delivered on the work site rather than exclusively in the classroom. (MEK)